Eco: Function and Sign
Abstract The argument this article presents is that architecture is a medium of communication through Semiotics. Eco argues that the form of a building or furniture piece both have to fulfill a given function and stand to convey a message. He argues that architecture follow certain cultural conventions, which allow buildings to be read as a text through the use of semiotics, because certain features of buildings have ascribed cultural meanings. Key Concepts The concept of Semiotics and specifically that "one is not obliged to characterize a sign on the basis of either behaviour that it stimulates or actual objects that would verify its meaning: it is characterized only on the basis of codified meaning that in a given cultural context is attributed to the sign vehicle." or in a layman's terms, that it is not the actual object that needs to prove it's meaning, but that the culture at large has established a meaning for the item. Architecture also functions off of codes and conventions, and the building must have mass appeal, since it will be visible to any passers b. Therefore it is reasonable to assume that is must communicate with it's audience to have appeal, which makes it a medium that can be 'written on' by the symbols ascribed to certain messages in in the culture. The additional concept being that the item or building must still fulfill its function while conveying it's meaning, and make the fulfillment of that function desirable. So a throne must still function as a seat, while carrying it's semiotic value by representing regalness and authority. Examples Eco uses the example of windows: that their primary function is to let in light into a building, but if the window is small and circular, that connotes a porthole on a ship, which evokes a nautical image. In this way a window transcends beyond its function into a symbol to evoke a reaction. Another example would be a concrete building with large garage type doors, versus a garage on a home. Though they are almost identical in form (a square structure with a specific type of door) the act of having the concrete and multiple doors connotes that that building is likely a warehouse or storage facility, versus a domestic garage. At the same time the practical choice of a garage door and a sturdy concrete building achieves its function of being a solid safe place, with an opening large enough for whatever objects need to be unloaded and stored. Critical Conversation Google scholar has 303 citations for this particular article. While the spectrum of what is being discussed is very broad because of the large volume of cited arguments, the vast majority are simply further discussion of semiotics, and how in general architecture plays of of socio-cultural cues to create recognizable forms that connote the function and the meaning of a place. Key Words Semiotics Citations Eco, Umberto. "Function and Sign: The Semiotics of Architecture." Rethinking Architecture: A Reader in Cultural Theory. New York: Routledge, 1997. 173-195. Print. Category:Reading Category:Semiotics